Electric belt



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1. P. E. PETTERSON.

ELEGTEIG BELT. No. 518,894. Patented Apr. 24, 1894.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. P. E. PETTERSON.

ELECTRIC BELT.

jcZdE 55671507? Patented Apr. 24, 1894.

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NITED STATES ATENT .FFICE.

PER ERICK PETTERSON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

ELECTRIC BELT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 518,894, dated April 24, 1894. Application med July 26, 1892. Serial No. 441,253. (No model.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PER ERICK PETTERSON, of Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Belts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an electric belt for medical use and especially to a particular constructlon for the same which I consider a great lmprovementover the construction shown and described in my patent, No. 462,732, forelectric belts, granted November 10, 1891.

The object of the invention is to simplify and cheapen the cost of making these electrlc belts and at the same time render their action far more efficient.

My invention consistsin general in the constructions and combinations hereinafter descr bed and particularly pointed out in the clalms, and will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of an electric belt embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the several chains of batteries, showing manner of connecting the same in series. Fig. 3 isa detail V ew of one of the connecting strips or links. Flgs. 4 and 5 are perspective details of the metallicfasteningwhich Iemployfor securing the pocket containing the batteries upon the belt. Fig.6 is an enlarged cross section of the belt upon the line 00-00 of Fig. 1. Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate the manner of securing the connection wires to the zinc and copper pieces at the opposite ends of a battery chain. Fig. 9 1s a perspective view illustrating the vari- 0us steps in the manufacture of a battery chain. Fig. 10 shows the same complete. Fig. 11 illustrates the two elements of zinc and copper as first connected by a link.

As shown in the drawings, 2 represents a belt upon the inner side of which is a series of contact plates 3 from which the electric current is transmitted to the body of the wearer. Upon the forward side of this beltI provide a pocket portion 4. having one or more of the long shallow pockets 5 adapted to receive and support the long battery chains 6. The pocket portion has the lower flap arsame upon the end of the wire.

ranged to fold upward about to the line of v formed in stamping the metal and arranged to press through the cloth composing the pocket and to be turned down over the same as shown in Fig. 6. Between the layers of the belt are the connecting wires 12 passing from the flexible battery connections 13 and the several plates 3. These connections extend from the face of the belt and are held in place by the small rings 14 as illustrated in Fig. 1. The ends of the cords or flexible connections are each provided with a snap 15 (see Figs. 8 and 9) composed of a single piece of spring wire bent so that its ends 16 turn away from one another to adapt the snap for easy adjustment on the connecting links of the battery chains or other parts thereof. The advantage of this bent U-link snap is that the wires press firmly together upon the wire or the link to which they are connected there- -by making a strong andpermanent electrical connection which cannot be disconnected by a simple shaking of the belt which has always been an objection to the old hook formerly employed.

My battery chains are constructed in the manner which is best calculated to do away with the necessity for soldering the wire connections between the several metal elements thereof. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8 the first steps are, the bending of the zinc plate 17 about the end of the wire 18, then punching the notches 19 in the zinc to fasten the This wire has the loop 20 for connection with one of the flexible cords. Each of the zinc plates is bent as shown at 21 so that a space is left between the two sides of the plate to receive the exciting liquid. For the ready distribution of this liquid I prefer to make the holes 22in the zinc plate. The copper-plate 23 at the other end of the chain is secured on. its wire 24 in a similar manner. These parts are made up in large numbers as are also the parts illustrated in Fig. 11 and consistin gin the long copper plate having its inner end curled around the side of the closed wire link 27, which link connects the copper-plate with the zinc plate 28 of the same construction as shown in Fig. 7 and curled around the other side of the link. In putting the belt together all of the copperplates are bentin theform shown in Fig. 9. The successive copper-plates being put through links 27 so as to surround the zinc plates. After all of the copper-plates have been thus placed the felt or thick cloth lining 29 is threaded through the links between the copper and zinc plates after which the long ends of the copper plates are curled up over the links and lap over upon their inner ends as shown in Fig. 10, the whole chain being then pressed so that all the batteries will be of even thickness and so as to slightly compress the felt between the metal elements. The parts shown in Figs. 7 and S are inserted at the ends of the chain before finally closing the copper-parts. As the links are all completed it is obvious that no solder is needed to make a permanent contact between the curled ends of the zinc and copper parts thereby greatly cheapening the cost of manufacture of the belt. The long flexible connecting cords 13 are particularly useful when it is desired to regulate the strength of the current to be supplied from the several contact plates 3 as the snaps may be looped over any one of the connecting links 27 to cut out one portion of a chain while leaving another portion in circuit. Further as the several cords connect with independent plates it will be seen that by using but two of them all of the current may be thrown from two plates and series connection between the several battery chains being made by use of the separate copper links 30 formed of the other layers of metal and adapted to be pinched tightly over the 4 1. The combination, in an electric belt, of 5 the belt proper, with the pocket portion arranged thereon and provided with a ser1es of shallow pockets 5, the battery chains arranged in said pockets and composed of zinc and copper elements respectively, said elements 1n each battery being separated by a felt l ning 29, the end wires 18 and 24 of each chain, contact plates arranged on the inner SIClO of said belt, flexible cord connections extending therefrom to the outside of said belt and arranged to lap over the pocket portion, each of said cords provided with a bent U-link or snap 15 adapted to make a strong and permanent connection with any portion of said battery chains or the wire connections thereof, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

2. A battery chain for electric belts, made up of a series of batteries connected by wire links 27, each battery being composed of a bent zinc plate 28, absorbing felt folded about said plate, said plate secured upon one side of a connecting link and a long and single piece of sheet copper having its end curled about the side of the next link 27 and thence extending entirely around said felt and lapping upon itself, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of July, A. D. 1892.

PER ERICK PETTERSON.

In presence of- O. G. IIAWLEY, F. S. LYON. 

